A Canning Town based charity hosted a youth conference last week to discuss the rise of knife and gun crime in the borough.

The event, which was hosted by Street Life at Stratford Circus last Thursday, was organised by young people for young people.

The conference gave attendees the opportunity to put questions to local leaders including the police, elected representatives and families affected by knife crime.

And those who took part in the event will draw up a series of recommendations, based upon the issues raised, and will share them with the next government in a bid tackle gang culture and violence.

East Ham’s labour candidate Lyn Brown said: “This is a vital opportunity to understand the real issues facing young people in our communities – a voice that is often ignored.

“These young people have taken a brave stance in standing up and have an invaluable contribution to make in tackling one of the most serious social issues facing us in London.”

Street Life is a youth-led project, run by Newham based charity Community Links, that tackles the growing culture of gangs and violence in east London. It works with young people at high risk of entering gang life with the aim of using an early action approach to divert them away from crime by tackling its root causes.